Remorseful Keith Olbermann Will Stop Running Into Rachel Maddow's Show

"There is no reason for me to be overlapping with my friend Rachel, nor to ignore the wishes of those who've been so loyal to both of us for so long," he Tweets.

Keith Olbermann is calling a truce with his protégé Rachel Maddow.

He announced on Twitter that his Current TV show will be just one hour -- and no longer overlap into Maddow's MSNBC show, potentially hurting her ratings. He had been criticized online after his premiere ran four minutes late.

"There were lots of people who were forced to choose sides," he said. "And particularly in Rachel's case, I didn't want to add to the pressure on her already. The last thing I need to do is be calling her up and saying, 'How's that Michael Steele working out for you?' [He signed to NBC as a political analyst May 23.] Which is exactly what I would do if I were in the office."